


Dr Martens, Magic and Mischief

by niamhec



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:56:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29630811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/niamhec/pseuds/niamhec
Summary: This is a story of the Marauders.I would just like to say, before this fic starts, that as a contributor to the Harry Potter fandom, I do not endorse JK Rowling's transphobic opinions and comments. I would like for this fic to be a safe space for any reader, and I love you all. Please keep any hate speech and slurs out of the comments, and respect other peoples wishes. We are all human, we all have feelings.I would also like to say, that this does not follow the series of events as shows in Snape's memories, in the Deathly Hallows (the book that is), and I am slightly lazy, and so did not include all of the characters in the first section. After this is written, I will edit everything, re-read and change stuff.Please vote and comment on what you like, and offer advice on how I can improve my writing.Please note that this is also posted on Wattpad, and both will be updated at the same time as I continue to write this fic
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Marlene McKinnon/Dorcas Meadowes, Remus Lupin & Lily Evans Potter, Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks, Sirius Black/Marlene McKinnon, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 3
Kudos: 1





	1. After the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introduction of the Marauders, before they arrive at Hogwarts

And, how can you mend a broken heart?

How can you stop the rain from falling down?

How can you stop the sun from shining?

What makes the world go round?

How can you mend this broken man?

How can a loser ever win?

Please help me mend my broken heart and let me live again

-How Can You Mend a Broken Heart- The Bee Gees

Summer is Wales is typically miserable. On the day in question, rain was streaking the windows, and lighting shattered the sky. It was the middle of August. Everybody and their dogs were holed up inside, waiting for the storm to disappear and the sun to return. Everybody, that is, except a small child. The eleven year old boy, who feared nothing but himself, sat, perched on the roof of his house, looking up into the sky, his eyes filled with wonder as we watched the sky sporadically light up with knives of electricity. For the first time in many years, Remus John Lupin felt this heart soar, and his pains forgotten.

He knew he would get berated by his mother when he re-entered the house, sopping wet and dripping over her new carpets. But, he reasoned, carpets could be replaced, memories can not. It was wise logic for an eleven year old.

Across the country, but worlds apart, in a gloomy town house in the outskirts of London, another eleven year old boy sat, his legs and arms crossed, his back straight, at a wooden kitchen table. His mother was already yelling at him. He claimed innocence, that it wasn't his fault the house elf got locked outside in the pouring rain. It was an easy mistake to make- locking a door before checking if anybody was outside. A harder mistake to make, he mused silently, is to pick up an elf by the scruff of it's baggy pillow case, and throw it outside, after it had been caught setting alight to the curtains and bedding of said young boys' bedroom. He didn't mention this to his mother. A wise choice in his mind.

That night Sirius Black fell asleep under the flickering light of lightning, curled up in a ball to protect himself against the pouring rain and the hashing wind.

On the south coast, in sleepy Dorset, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew lay asleep, curled up in mountains of blankets, under the protection of an old bedsheet, strung magically from invisible hooks in the ceiling. The noise of the rain made no dent in their sleeping, but, when lightning flashed, and Fleamont Potter stuck his head in the door, he saw the smaller of the two boys shift slightly into the comfort of the other.

Later that night, when Fleamont and Euphemia Potter where lying in bed, Fleamont confessed to his wife,

"They just seem to young to be old enough to go away to Hogwarts." She nodded her head sleepily, and muttered,

"Just as young as we were Sweetheart". The light in the Potter's bedroom flicked off, and in a house in deepest Dorset, all was quiet and calm.

In a legendary castle, in the upper highlands of Scotland, a wise old man, with a beard tucked into a large belt, paced his office, his mind a whirl of debate. Voldemort was rising, he could see the signs all around him. He needed to build his resistance, or, as Minerva so delicately put it, "things will go to shit". His thoughts turned back to the boy. Inviting a half-blood werewolf to study at Hogwarts would be a risky business, and could put students at danger. But, to deny a young wizard an education, because of who he was, Dumbledore reasoned, is exactly what Voldemort would expect. He would add the boy to his pack of werewolf minions. No. Dumbledore hurried to his desk, and quickly signed the letter that was waiting. A stamp on the back, and a small journey to the Owlery.

Dumbledore watched as his owl flew into the sunset, a letter clutched firmly in its claws, ready to be received by a boy who knew nothing of his father or his heritage.

Remus Lupin awoke, the morning after the storm, to hear a tapping at his window. Bleary eyed, he turned over, pulling his duvet up over his head, and tried to fall back to sleep. Eventually, however, the tapping became too much, and Remus jumped out of bed, and pulled back his curtains. Words could not describe his shock, although his muffled yelp did an adequate job, when he saw a massive owl, blinking at him. With one look, the owl looked into Remus' eyes, and began tapping on the window lock. Remus, convinced he was still asleep, opened the window cautiously, and stood back, to allow the owl to flutter into the room. The bird, evidently tired, dropped the letter to the boy's feet, and promptly fell into sleep, sat on the lamp on a nightstand.

Remus bent down, and picked up the letter gingerly. He had heard from the kindly Mrs Jones next door that the IRA would try to take over Wales next, and that they were sending poison in the mail. His mother told him Mrs Jones was just angry that the government wouldn't get her husband another job after the mining accident, and was being a bit silly, the IRA weren't coming to Wales anytime soon. Nevertheless, Remus picked up the letter between his fingers, and dropped it on his bed. He found a bandanna in his draws, that was part of his cowboy Halloween costume from the year before, and tied it around his head, covering his mouth and nose.

Remus sat, staring at the letter, for many minutes, and finally mustered the courage to open it.The front of the letter read his address, which was strange, he had just moved and his mother hadnt told any relatives the new address yet. But, sure enough, the envelope read; Remus Lupin, 27 Pen-y-Fan Road, Hazeltop, Glyn Ebbw, Wales. And, underneath, written in the same handwriting, If lost, please return to Hogsmead, Scotland. He broke the wax seal on the back, and, holding the envelope at arms length, he pulled the letter out. No suspicious green cloud appeared, and so Remus deemed it safe to read the letter.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mr Lupin,

We Pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. Please find a list of all necessary books and equipment enclosed within the envelope. Term begins on the 1st of September we await your hour by no later than 31st of July.

Yours Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress.

Remus began to panic. Today was the 8th of August. He was eight days late. He glared at the sleeping owl. And then he shrugged. It was probably just a hoax, a prank played by the bullies down the road. He stood up, and removed the bandana from his face. As he did so, however, he noticed another envelope, inside the larger one. Curious, Remus reached for it.

Dear Mr Lupin,

I believe you will have read the other letter previous to this one. Let me introduce myself. My name is Albus Dumbledore, Headteacher of Hogwarts School. I understand that you will think this a joke, your father did as well. I have heard you are very similar to him. Remus, I understand your condition, I heard what happens every full moon. At Hogwarts, we can help you. You will be surrounded by likeminded people, and you will learn form the best teachers we have at our disposal. I have had supplies bought in Diagon Alley, so refrain from worrying about the equipment list. I believe your mother is still in possession of your fathers wand, but I doubt she knows what it is for. We look forward to seeing you on September 1st. Please find your train ticket enclosed.

Best Wishes,

Albus Dumbledore.

P.S. Don't worry about returning the owl, it was a mailing error.

Remus could not believe his luck. He was leaving. Scotland was an awful way away though. He spared a thought for his Mum. His stomach twisted as he thought about her all alone here, for a year.

A soft knock on his door startled him from his thoughts. Remus' mother, Hope, entered the room.

"Good Morning Sweetie," Her eyes widened when she saw the owl on the night stand, and the letters on Remus' desk. She walked over, and took the two letters in her hands. Remus stared intently up at his mother, as a smile crossed her lips. "Just like your father" she whispered, barely loud enough for Remus to hear.

And that was how, on September 1st, 1971, Remus John Lupin and his mother, Hope Emma Lupin, stood, amongst the hubbub of Kings Cross Station, trying to figure out how to enter the platform 9 and 3/4. Somewhere, deep down, Remus found the courage to ask a large family of children with curling black hair about how to enter the platform. It was how, Remus Lupin, a boy of eleven, met a boy who would become so much to him in the future. Sirius Black looked upon the boy with a scarred face, and shook his head slightly, his eyes filled with sympathy, his mouth already mouthing a Sorry. It was when, Remus Lupin, a c. hild, heard the first ugly slur come from an overly abrasive woman, as she stared in disgust at his small, scared face. And that was why, James Potter trotted forward, took Remus by the arm, and told him how to enter the platform.


	2. The Train to Hogwarts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The four boys meet each other for the first time.

Heard back from my friends

(Hey girl, don't bother me)

Word really gets around

(Hey girl, don't bother me)

They say you're the toy

(Hey girl, don't bother me)

Of every boy in town

They said you like to cheat

(Cheat, cheat)

They said you were just a little flirt

(Cheat, cheat, cheat, cheat)

If I fall for you

(Cheat, cheat, cheat, cheat)

I'm surely gonna get hurt - Hey Girl Don't Bother Me- the Tams

Sirius Black was scared. He sat aboard the Hogwarts express, squished between his older cousins, Narcissa and Andromeda, trying to look anywhere except into the jeering face of his other cousin, Bellatrix. His mind was focused wholly on the boy from the train station, and his terrified face when his mother yelled at him. As it so happened, this boy was also the focus of Bellatrix's taunts, and her cackling laugh echoed around the small compartment that the Black family preoccupied. Thank god Bellatrix was in her last year at Hogwarts, thought Sirius quietly. Andromeda seemed to sense his thoughts, and took Sirius' hand in hers.

"Little Sirius is sacred, is he?" Bellatrix's taunts took a new target. "Is lickwle Siri afwaid of the big school?" Once again, her laughter cackled.

"Do stop talking Bella, you will only make it worse." Narcissa normally avoided Sirius, but played no obvious disliking to the boy. This time, however, Narcissa smiled at Sirius, taking the boy by surprise.

"Oh calm down Cissy, I was having a laugh." Bellatrix normally doted on her younger sister. "Sirius will be in Slytherin, just like us all, and the Black family will be feared by all- especially those repulsive Gryffindor's." Her face turned into a sneer. "Speaking of which, that boy on the station- the one with messy hair and big glasses- he is definitely a Potter, Mother suspected he would join this year. He, Sirius, is exactly the type of people you need to avoid. Galant bastard." Andromeda gasped. With an ugly smile, Bellatrix continued, "Probably marries a mud-blood. Ugh, makes me sick thinking about it. Stay away from him, and his little Werewolf friend, you get that Sirius?"

"Werewolf?" Sirius felt brave enough to open his mouth, and converse with his cousin.

"Yes. Did you see those awful scars?" Sirius nodded. "Well, Sirius, his father, Lyall his name was, he created the Werewolf register, should have gone further if you ask me, but nobody every does, anyway, he created the register, and Greyback, you've heard of him right?" Again Sirius nodded. "Yes, well, Greyback went after Lyall. That night, it was just Lyall and his young son in the house, the disgusting muggle wife was out. When Greyback appeared, Lyall tried bargaining with him. Offered all sorts of promises, I heard, but Greyback wanted revenge. So, he took the child, and bit him. Lyall was distraught, and when the muggle returned, she saw her son sat on the floor, tears rolling down his ruined face, surrounded by blood, gushing from his fathers head. Greyback shot him, with a silver bullet of all things. Why Dumbledore would want a monster in school, I have no idea, but, Mother said we mustn't tell, not until the time is right. She says the boys can't help what he is, but we must be cautious, in case he gets us. You understand, Sirius?"

"Yes, Bella" Sirius couldn't meet the young witches eyes. She nodded, her lips pursed. "Good. Oh- Cissy, I hear you have your eyes on Lucius Malfoy- do tell all." Narcissa began to tell the compartment of her budding romance with Lucius Malfoy, and Sirius tuned out. The trolley witch came past, and, after the Black's had eaten their fill, Sirius, eager to stretch his legs, made an excuse about needing the toilet. He slipped out of the door, and into the hallway.

Students of all ages crowded compartments, and spilled into the hallways. Sirius shuffled past, and noted people of interest as he walked down the corridor. Not three doorways had past, before Sirius saw Lucius Malfoy, bragging of his, from what Sirius could hear, extremely explicit romance with Narcissa Black to his friends. Sirius hastened past, muttering "excuse me"'s and "Sorry"'s as he went. Further down the train, he saw compartment with a lanky greasy dark-haired boy, and a small ginger girl, with a happy smile. They wore no house colours on their robes, and so Sirius presumed they were in his year. He smiled and waved at them, and, whilst the girl waved back, her counterpart deliberately turned his head. Sirius left that window to the sounds of muffled shouts.

Next door to them, was the carriage which caught Sirius' attention. The Potter boy, and the Werewolf sat in this carriage, along with a small pudgy blonde boy, with crumbs cluttering his mouth. Again, Sirius waved, but this time, the Werewolf's eyes widened, and the Potter boy's lips curled. Only the blonde boy smiled politely. Sirius turned around, and shuffled back to his compartment, his eyes trained carefully on his shoes.

In the compartment down the hall, the three boys sat, staring after the meek boy who had shuffled away.

"Who is that?" Remus remembered the dark-haired boys sympathetic eyes from that station.

"That, my friend, is Sirius Black." James answered darkly. Remus felt a flutter in his stomach, as he registered that James had called him friend. It was a while since that had happened.

Peter's eyes widened. "Sirius Black, you say?". James nodded gravely.

"What is wrong with Sirius Black?" questioned Remus.

"Sirius Black? Well," James began, "He's a Black isn't he. Most notorious pureblood family in Britain." Peter nodded.

"Sorry, ummm, what's a pureblood?" Remus felt his cheeks heat. He was embarrassed about how little he actually knew.

"They are families where no blood has been 'tainted' by muggle blood." James put air quotes around the word tainted. "Pete and I both come from traditionally pure blooded families, but now its more of a coincidence, than purpose- the Black's, well, they, how do I put this delicately, Pete?" Peter shrugged, wiping his face with his sleeve. " No bloody use you are." James fumed, mockingly. "They, keep it in the family, shall we say." Remus' eyes widened in understanding. "Yeah, them, and a couple of others, think purebloodedness is so important that they marry their cousins and stuff. But, they all think muggles, normal non-magic folk that is, should submit to suppression, be ruled by wizards and all that. All of them Slytherin. Ain't nobody in Slytherin who doesn't turn bad at some point."

Peter shook his head. "Born evil them lot."

James nodded gravely, in agreeance.

"Anyway chaps, best not focus on the negative. We are going to Hogwarts" James beamed widely. "What houses do you lot reckon you will be in? I reckon I'll be Gryffindor- both Mum and Dad were Lions. Pete? You got any ideas?"

"Bet I'm in Hufflepuff" said Peter, rather glumly. "Not really smart nor brave am I, James. And Slytherins ain't really my crowd, neither." James put a comforting arm around the smaller boy.

"I'm sure you will be in Gryffindor Pete, it take balls to be my friend." Peter smiled at that, and began laughing. It was such a joyous sound, that Remus began to smile himself. James looked up at Remus.

"And you Remus? Where'd you reckon you'll be."

"Not sure" Remus mumbled.

"C'mon lad, speak up a bit- Petey here going deaf." James received a sharp elbow to the ribs. "Ow, you bastard." Another elbow in the side. "Okay, okay, sorry Pete." The small boy nodded in acceptance, and returned to examining his cards from the chocolate frog boxes. "What house was your Dad in, Remus?" Remus found that James had the inability to give up.

"Bird-somthin Mum said. Eagle talon maybe?" Remus looked up at James. The latter looked confused for a second, and then he grinned.

"You mean Ravenclaw!" The boy exclaimed.

"Aye, that were it." Remus agreed, bobbing his head enthusiastically.

"Cor, them lot are proper smart," Peter piped up, "Brainiac's the lot of them. All reading and stuff. My cousin was in Ravenclaw. Now she's working in St Mungo's hospital. Proper smart and all" Remus smiled, he was liking the sound of Ravenclaw.

"Well, I do quite like reading." Remus admitted shyly.

James was being unusually quiet, clearly in thought. "Well..." the boy began, "Maybe you will be in Gryffindor- you know. It was pretty brave of you going up to that awful Black family, and asking for help. And them scratches on yer arms, them musta hurt- I reckon you musta been pretty brave then." Remus could have cried. How little James knew, if only he knew how close he had been to giving up, how much he cried after every full moon.

Swallowing his tears, Remus replied, "yeah, maybe."

The sky was darkening by the time the train pulled into the station. Remus looked excitedly out of the window, in case he could see the school he was destined for. Inside, he hoped it wouldn't look like the old secondary modern buildings that he should have been attending. Instead, all he saw was great fir trees on one side, and quaint stone houses on the other. The train pulled to a stop, and Remus looked down at his robes, checking for any flaw or crumb that was out of place. He reached up for his bags, above him, and followed James and Peter out onto the platform. At the doors onto the platform, Remus got separated from his new friends by a crowd of rowdy older years. Their robes had blue on them. Remus wracked his mind to remember what James had said, and recalled blue was the colour of Ravenclaw. Remus smiled. Maybe this was the energy he could meet if he got into Ravenclaw. Lost in thought, Remus walked straight into the Black boy. Sirius, Remus remembered.

"Watch it mudblood" a tall girl with tight black curls spat venomously.

"S-s-sorry" Remus stuttered, and ran after his friends, who he had spotted in the crowd. They were headed towards a great tall man, who resembled a bear. As he left, he heard the smallest of the three girls tell Sirius to "meet us in the great hall, after you are sorted".

Andromeda gave Sirius one last squeeze of his hand, before letting go, and directing him in the direction that the werewolf had gone, towards a beast of a man.

"That's Hagrid, game keeper, he's lovely, don't let the half-giant appearance scare you." Andromeda smiled at Sirius, and gave him a gentle shove away from them. "You will meet us in the great hall, after you are sorted." Sirius gave one last look, and trudged towards the rest of his year group.

Sirius hung at the back of the group. His mind was a race of thoughts. A part of him didn't want to be in Slytherin. He didn't want to turn into his parents, or marry his cousin. But then, the small part in the back of his brain feared what his family would say, if he would be beaten up and then kicked out before he could even say "sorry". At least the dratted elf would be happy if he left. Sirius was so deep in thought, that he failed to realise they had reached the edge of a great lake. He heard gasps around him, as the giant of the castle came into view. Sirius had to admit, it was an incredible sight, and his spirits lifted as he thought of the years to come, with Hogwarts as his home.

"Right, first years" the giant man spoke up, his voice hushing the excited chatter that had arisen over the excitement of seeing the castle. "Four per boat please, no more, no less." The man, Hagrid, Dromeda had said, took his own boat, and watched, and amused expression on his face, as he watched first years rush to their own boats. Sirius hung back, waiting to see a free space. He saw the greasy haired boy and his ginger friend pair with two girls, and take to one boat, whilst a freckled boy that he had seen with a group of Hufflepuff's on the train, commandeered a boat, which filled with a pair of twins, linked arm in arm, and a mousy, brown haired boy. Soon, the only boat with a space free was the one with the Werewolf in. Sirius walked over, and cleared his throat. The three boys, who had previously been watching the girls in the boat with the greasy haired boy, spun around to look at him.

"There is no other seats," Sirius began, "Could I just sit here? He motioned to the empty seat next to the Werewolf. The spectacled boy opened his mouth to speak, but, before he could, the werewolf blurted out a sharp

"yes, yes you can." Sirius nodded gratefully, and sank to his seat. He tried to ignore the angry looks that the boy with glasses was shooting the werewolf. "I'm Remus, by the way." The Werewolf, Remus, met my eyes for the first time.

"Sirius" He smiled. "And you guys?" He looked across the boat, at the pudgy blonde boy, and the boy with glasses, who was decidedly staring out at the lake.

"I'm Peter." The blonde boy spoke first. He received a sharp kick in the ankle. "Ow, James, what was that for?"

"You know exactly what." The brunette spat, pushing his glasses up his nose. He turned back out to the lake, his back to Sirius. Peter blushed scarlet, and Remus shuffled uncomfortably. The silence on the boat was eternal. Eventually, Hagrid announced their arrival, and the students jumped out of their boats. Hagrid led them up twisting steps towards the castle. The mouths of muggle-born and wizard-born alike where open, gawking up at their surroundings. They reached the castle, and Hagrid knocked elaborately on the massive doors. They swung open, to reveal a stern looking witch, with a tall, pointy hat.

"Ah, Hagrid, there you are." Her Scottish accent echoed through the hallway. "We were starting to worry." Hagrid shuffled his feet.

"Sorry Professor." She smiled forgivingly.

"Not to worry Hagrid, they are all here now. No soggy feet I hope." Hagrid shook his head vigorously. Sirius got the impression that the teacher was not one to get on the wrong side of. "Right, if you all will follow me, and we can sort you into your houses. Follow me now, quickly please." The first years scurried after this Professor, as she pushed open the doors to, what Sirius presumed, was the Great Hall. Gasps stole from the first years' mouth as they entered the hall. The roof seemed endlessly large above them, showing the stars in the night sky. Candles floated, maybe two meters above the students, illuminating the room. Great, flaming torches were lit along the walls. Students were crammed onto great long benches, and, at the top of the hall, a bench of teachers sat. Some were smiling kindly at the scared first years, whilst others seemed to be trying to emit a dominating aura. Sirius glanced over at his cousins, sat at the furthest bench on the left. Andromeda smiled at him, mouthing "good luck". At the top of the hall, just in front of the teachers bench, sat a battered hat, perched upon a stool.

"When I call your name, you will come forward. I will put the hat on your head, and you will be placed into your house. We have Slytherin on the far left," cheers erupted on that side of the hall, "Hufflepuff next door" more cheers, "then Ravenclaw," the cheering continued, its epicentre changing every time, "and finally, Gryffindor". The cheers from Gryffindor were deafening, and Sirius had to resist the urge to cover his ears. The Professor pursed her lips, and waited for the students to calm down. "Right then, lets get started, shall we?" The hall immediately hushed. The Professor

"Aubrey, Bertram" the mousy-brown haired boy from the boat with the twins gulped, and moved forward. He perched upon the stool, and the hat had barely touched his head, when it's almighty voice yelled "Ravenclaw". Cheers erupted from the blue clad table. The boy hopped off the stool, a mighty beam on his face, and he strode over to the table, perching between two older students. 

"Bagman, Otto" the boy who was friends with the older Hufflepuff's stepped to the front. The hat took a few seconds longer this time, before pronouncing "Hufflepuff". Sirius was not surprised.

"Black, Sirius". Sirius gulped. A hush fell onto the hall. The headmaster, a middle-aged man, with a fey grey hairs showing in his beard, leaned forward. Sirius moved forward, and heard who he could only presume was Bellatrix, let out a whoop. His hands were shaking as he sat on the stool, and the hat was placed upon his head.

Another Black it seems, a voice filled his head Slytherin- just like you cousins? Hmmm, no, I don't think so. Actually I think you will be best suited to a different house. Yes, you are clever, maybe Ravenclaw, all that academic potential. No? Hmmmm well then, I suppose it will just have to be...

Remus Lupin could not quite believe his ears, when he heard the Sorting Hat boom out a loud "Gryffindor" after being sat on Sirius' head. The silence was deafening. Remus snuck a glance at the girls who Sirius had arrived with. All three mouths were pressed into a straight line. Gryffindor's looked at each other nervously, and then, a tall boy, with a shining pin on his lapel, stood up, and began to clap. Soon the entire Gryffindor table was cheering loudly. Remus saw Sirius smile weakly, he saw Sirius cast a nervous glance at the Slytherin table, and the boy approached the Gryffindor table, and sat down. The Professor with the scroll smiled.

Critchley, Mia, a nervous muggle born was sorted into Ravenclaw, and Evans, Lily, was placed into Gryffindor. She sat down next to Sirius. Remus stopped paying attention then, and only re-entered the present, when his own name was called.

"Lupin, Remus" Remus shuffled forward, his eyes trained ahead. The hat perched upon his head, and he heard a voice between his ears.

Lupin- is it. Yes. I remember your father. Ravenclaw he was. But, then again, I always had a thought he should have been with the Lions. Maybe that's where I will put you. Yes, I can see a tragic past, but brave. Yes, that's what I will do with you.

The next thing Remus knew, a loud "Gryffindor" was shouted, and mass applause broke out. Remus jumped down from the stool, and walked over to where Sirius and Lily were sat. He squeezed in between them.

"McKinnon, Marlene" was the next name on the list, and a girl with fly away curls was called forward.

A Gryffindor down the table from Remus whispered, "Her brother is a chaser for the Cannons- proper good and all." Marlene was met with an energetic applause when the hat yelled Gryffindor. Pettigrew, Peter was called. As James predicted, Peter ended up in Gryffindor, and James followed him soon after. Finally, the only student left was a greasy haired boy, to whom Lily had vast amounts of attention trained upon. He was called to the hat, and, with surprising swiftness, it yelled out "Slytherin". The Slytherin's cheers almost drowned out Lily's gasp, but Remus heard it nevertheless.

The headmaster, Dumbledore, Remus recalled from his letter, stepped forward, and gave a hearty greeting. He smiled directly at Remus, and the boy felt his cheeks heat. Dumbledore's final words were "Let the feast begin", and piles of food appeared in the tables. Hungry teenagers tucked into the feast- Remus had not seen so much food in his life. No food, however, could take away from the moment that James Potter held his hand out across the table, to Sirius Black. Sirius took it, and shook.

"The names James, James Potter. I'm sorry for being such an awful prick on the boats". Sirius chuckled lightly.

"Nice to meet ya James, and don't you worry. One of these days, I'll get you back." James beamed.

"I look forward to it." At this, Remus smiled. He already knew these next years will be the best he has ever experienced.


	3. A Home from Home

Every night on my knees I pray, dear Lord, hear my plea

Don't ever let another take her love from me or I would surely die

Her love is heavenly, when her arms enfold me

I hear a tender rhapsody, but in reality she doesn't even know me

Just my imagination once again runnin' way with me

Tell you it was just my imagination runnin' away with me- Just My Imagination, the Temptations.

The boy who had applauded Sirius turned out to be the male prefect of Gryffindor. Remus mentally added the fact that Hogwarts had prefects to the list of things he did not expect. It took it's place just below the whole 'I go to a magic school in a freaking castle' bit. The prefects name was Frank Longbottom, a name which caused a few sniggers within the group, and were silenced by a warning glare. Remus decided he liked Frank, he had a calming nature, and a confident smile. Frank, along with the female prefect, Alice, led the first years up the staircases, telling them of things about Hogwarts. The moving staircases were a shock to Remus, but he heard Sirius giggle next to him.

"Would be fun to enchant- don't you think?" Sirius muttered under his breath. James snorted.

"Five galleons says we do it by the end of the year." James replied, holding out his hand. Sirius shook it.

"Five galleons it is." Remus turned to Peter, who merely rolled his eyes.

"Professor McGonagall, the one with the Sorting Hat, she is the head of Gryffindor" Alice spoke out, above the first year chatter. "She is basically your parent away from home. Whilst she cannot get you out of detentions, or give back house points, she can determine whose on the quidditch team, and has the final say on the privileges that you may, or may not, earn. Be respectful, and don't let her catch you out of bed after hours."

"The house point system," Frank took over from Alice, "determines who wins the house cup, at the end of the year. Good behaviour will be rewarded, bad behaviour will have points removed. Not only will you let yourselves down, but the whole house will suffer from your actions. Think wisely before you act." He sent a pointed look to Sirius and James, who were giggling at the back of the group. James looked up, face full of feigned innocence.

The group of young Gryffindor's had reached a stop, at the top of a set of stairs.

"This is the fat lady portrait- the entrance to our common room and dorms. The password changes frequently, so keep an eye on the notice board for the changes- else you will be stuck out here all night. This week, the password is 'ignis cupam'." Remus heard Sirius mutter to James,

"Fire Whiskey in Latin", and the pair started guffawing once again. Frank shot a look at the two, before proceeding into the newly revealed common room.

As he stepped in, Remus' breath was taken away. A warm fire crackled in a large hearth, a black kettle steaming merrily above it. Sofas, love seats and cushions were strewn everywhere, all in musty shades of red or gold. A worn carpet protected the cold stone floor. Remus realised they were in a tower, as the room was circular. Gold and red banners decorated with proud lions hung from the walls, along with notice boards. Some held photos of students, in billowing red robes. Remus' eyes only glanced at them briefly, and then his head snapped back to the photos, when he saw the people smiling and laughing, and pointing at the young Gryffindors. Two spiralling staircases reached out of the common rooms, and between them, sat a large window seat, with great windows looking out over the Scottish landscape. The lights emitted a cosy darkness, firelight flickering and lighting up the room with an amber glow, causing shadows to dance merrily. Alice and Frank shared a look. Clearly they had seen this reaction before.

"Right then," said Frank, after allowing a few minutes for the novelty to set in, "Girls dorms up the left staircase, boys on the right. You guys get the floor recently vacated by the year that has just left, so you are on the fourth floor. Your bags will already be up there. First years lights off is 9, we expect you all in your dorms by that point. When you actually sleep is up to you, but breakfast is at 7 til 7:30, on weekdays, and 8 til 9 on weekends. Take responsibility of when you sleep, and you shall be fine. Ignore these times, and you will end up in the hospital wing after a month with exhaustion." Frank finished his speech with a smile, and Alice took up speaking.

"Right, off you pop then." Immediately, the first years charged to the stairs. Remus hung back, making his way up slowly. At the fourth floor, he saw two doors, one across from the other. Remus moved to the left hand door, and sure enough, on a golden plaque, the names 'Black, Lupin, Pettigrew and Potter' were inscribed. Remus opened the door, and saw his three friends already making themselves at home.

The boys' dorm, like the common room, was circular, and had a large black log burner in the centre, metal grates surrounding it, a similar black kettle sat on top. The chimney reached up through the ceiling. Across from the entrance door, where Remus stood, a door was set into a wall, with a similar gold plaque saying, 'bathroom' on it. On either side of the door, sat grand book shelves, each one split in half, vertically, so that four segments were available. Each segment had around six shelves. Remus turned around the face the beds. Four large, four-poster beds surrounded the walls, their head-boards against the walls, and the feet towards the fire. Two beds on the left hand side, between the door and the shelves, and two on the right. A carpeted walkway surrounded the fire, with sections branching off, between each bed. Remus turned to see that James and Peter had taken the two beds on the left, and Sirius took one on the right. Remus saw his luggage sat on top of the final bed, on the right. The Tesco bag which held his trainers was spilling onto the floor, and Remus shot forward to stop a shoe from falling.

Sirius unpacked first, his clothes piled high in bulging draws. He lay back on his bed, his arms folded above his head. Something caught his attention, and he turned to face Remus, smiling.

"Remus, mate, what are you doing with your goddam socks?" The boy spoke out, hoping that Remus was okay with his sorting into Gryffindor. Remus' eyes widened, and he turned to face Sirius, a sock in each hand. Sirius couldn't help but smile.

"I'm folding them. Obviously." Remus spoke out, his tone incredulous.

"Folding socks?" Sirius questioned, amused.

"Yeah Remus, what's with the socks?" James joined in.

"It's so they don't get mixed up, like, I don't want to be wearing one woollen sock, and one cotton." Remus shook his head. Sirius could have sworn he heard the boy mutter, "Uncivilised creatures." 

Once Remus had folded his socks, and Peter had inspected the cleanliness of the bathroom, all the boys crowded onto James' bed.

"Right then lads," James began, "Seems we are all pretty damn brave to end up here then."

"Mmm" Sirius agreed, absentmindedly.

"What do we do now 'en?" Asked Pete, breaking a lingering silence.

"Dunno," said James, "I mean, I know you Pete, but these other two- I don't know too well. 'Cept that ones a Black, and his family ain't gonna be too happy he's in Gryffindor, and the other one was raised a muggle. Not" he hastened to add, "that there is anything wrong with that or nothing." Remus smiled.

"Actually boys, Frank did mention something, and I heard some folk talking about it at dinner." Remus began, hoping this would break this ice, and drawn the conversation away from the inevitable questions about the scars that littered his body.

"Go on then." Sirius accepted Remus' prompt without hesitation.

"Right, so, what's Quidditch?" Three faces spun around, mouths and eyes falling open in shock.

"Did he just say-?"

"Mate, you don't know what Quidditch is?"

"What is it that muggles do with their free time, Merlin, how do you not know-". All three boys began their own interrogation. Remus laughed loudly, holding his hands up in defeat.

"Okay, okay, I get it" he said, still laughing, "Quidditch is important to you lot."

"You think?" Exclaimed Sirius.

"Right, where to start?" James began, although he clearly had a plan. "So, in quidditch, you've got Four balls, three hoops per team. Seven players- two beaters, three chasers, one keeper, and a seeker. Got it?"

"Yep- so it's like basketball?" This question was met with blank looks. "Or is it more like football?" More blank looks. Remus sighed. "Do you kick, or throw the balls?"

"Did this fool say kick?" James, exasperated, turned to Sirius.

"'Fraid he did." Sirius' reply was comically grave.

"Right." James turned back to Remus. "Quidditch is played on broomsticks." Remus burst out laughing.

"B-broom sticks? Noooo way! Your having me on. Oh- your not joking?" Remus quietened his laughter. "Do continue, James."

The night passed swiftly, with James, Sirius, and occasionally Peter butting in to explain the logistics of Quidditch, their favourite teams, and the best players. It became fairly obvious to Remus that both James and Sirius intended on applying for the quidditch team, as soon as they were able. Peter seemed more content with watching, and Remus, well, Remus wasn't quite sure where he stood, in terms of the game.

When Sirius woke, the next morning, he didn't quite recall where he was. He knew he was at Hogwarts, but why his room was covered in red and gold, that confused him. Only for a second though. He sat bolt upright, and a smile crossed his lips, as he say Remus, snoring slightly beside him. Across the room, James had fallen asleep with his glasses on, and they sat crookedly against his face. Peter's bed was vacated, but had not yet been made, and so, Sirius presumed, the smaller boy was in the bathroom. his suspicions were confirmed, when Pete walked out of the bathroom in a towel skirt, and a massive towel covering his head. Sirius burst out laughing at this comical sight, waking Remus and James in the process. Remus groaned and turned over, and James sat up straight away. In a groggy morning voice, the boy exclaimed a loud,

"Breakfast", and proceeded to jump out of his bed. The boy tugged his clothes on, and, in the race to put his shoes on, he put them on the wrong feet. The night before, in a moment of inspiration, Sirius had tied James' laces together, and, when the boy rushed for the door, he tripped and fell straight on his face. Peels of laughter emerged from Sirius' bed, as the you Black fell backwards in a fit of giggles. Remus, clearly not a morning person, grumbled from his bed,

"Breakfast isn't for another half an hour, you fool". James, stood up, trying to remain dignified, straightened his glasses, and hopped back to his bed. He tugged off his shoes, and pointed a menacing finger at the boy on the bed, who was still giggling.

"You, Sirius Black, have revenge coming for you. When I think of something" Sirius couldn't breathe, as his laughter reached another crescendo. "Just you wait, we will think of something- won't we Pete?"

"Don't you dare bring me into this" came a shouted reply from behind the closed curtains of his bed. By this point, Sirius noticed, Remus had buried his head underneath his pillows, and was groaning loudly. James and Peter were loudly debating whether or not Pete had a duty to fulfil in seeking revenge on Sirius. Sirius smiled at the havoc he had created, and, snickering, stood out of his own bed, and crept of to Remus, who had, in fact, fallen back asleep. Sirius marvelled at his ability to do so. After years of deathly silence in his own house, Sirius had become susceptible to waking at any little noise. The boy reached over, and took a hold of the duvet cover, under which Remus was asleep. With a quick flurry, he had pulled back the cover, and Remus Lupin was wide awake, reaching for he duvet, whilst his pillows still covered his face. He sat up, his pillows falling into his lap, and glared at Sirius, through sleepy eyes.

"Consider yourself bloody lucky that I don't sleep naked." Sirius' eyes widened in shock as Remus finished the sentence with a pronounced, "Anymore." Sirius ran for his bed, shaking his head, and trying to get that image out of his mind. It was Remus' turn to laugh this time. Peels of laughter escaped from that corner of the room, as Sirius realised, a second to late, the Remus was joking. Peter and James had stopped arguing for a second, and turned around, eyes questioning.

"Sirius- just- got- he got a taste of his own - medicine" Remus managed to splutter between laughs. Sirius smiled, admitting defeat, and said, calmly,

"Let the battle commence". 

Half an hour later, all the boys, including Remus, were dressed, and were leaving their dorm, for the first day of lessons. Once again, Remus was shocked about the pure volume of food that appeared on the tables. What shocked him even more, was the fact that there was barely a morsel left on the table, by the time the boys were leaving.   
The first lesson of the day was Transfiguration, according to Remus' timetable. After asking a friendly ghost for directions, the boys eventually found their classroom. Remus filed in behind James, looking at his shoes, meekly. He hated being late for his first class. All the students already there turned around to face the four boys as they trailed in. Remus' heart leapt as he saw Professor McGonagall was not yet present, and all that was sat at the front of a class was a small tabby cat. James and Peter took a desk on the right hand side of the class, and, whilst Remus sat down across the row from them, Sirius decided it was a good idea to pet the cat at the front. With a quick,

"Aw look James- I bloody love cats. Hey, watch this", he had strode forward, and held out his hand to the tabby, making noises, normally translated as "come here kitty, I'm pretending I have something for you, but I actually want to stroke you". Remus watched with an amused look as the cat that Sirius was so intent on petting, turned into an unimpressed Professor, right in front of their eyes. Sirius, his mind clearly processing the events unfolding in front of him, seconds after they happened. Mortified, the boy snapped straight up, and ran back to his seat, collapsing into his chair, wanting to disappear, as the rest of the class broke out into giggles. Remus smiled to himself, and glanced over to Sirius, who was staring adamantly at his hands, folded around his wand, on the desk in front of him.

"Thank you Mr. Black, for that heart-warming display of affection." Sirius blushed a deep red. "Shall we start the lesson? Or do you have anymore people to pet?" McGonagall was clearly trying to hide her smile.

"Very sorry Professor", murmured Sirius, his cheeks still resembling beetroot.

"Very good." She began to walk, slowly, down the middle aisle of the classroom. "Transfiguration is an art. What you saw there, is the ability to take an animal form- an Animagus. This is, of course, extremely difficult magic to master- we, in Hogwarts, start with much simpler transformations. You may be excited at the prospect of transfiguration- being able to conjure food up from anywhere, or being able to change your appearance. Gamp's law of transfiguration, dictate what you can conjured and what cannot. There are five things that you simply cannot conjure out of nothing: food, life, beauty- and in that section, true wealth, as money and riches are valued with beauty- knowledge, and true love. In these lessons, I can teach you how to turn leaves into pocket watches, goblets into creatures, and things beyond your imagination. All I ask, is that you listen, respect, and learn. Follow these three rules, and you will complete tasks beyond your wildest dreams. Fail to do so, and your hose may not be best pleased with how many points you loose them."

McGonagall paused, and looked around the class. After deciding the class was sufficiently transfixed on her words, she opened her mouth, and muttered the immortal words,

"Let us begin."

Remus left the double lesson, with his mind blown. He had never thought half of what he had done it that class would be possible. And that was just the start of it. His mind ran rampage thinking of all the possibilities the future could hold.

Sirius, on the other hand, had sat quietly all lesson, replaying the events of the day in his head. Just one more thing to add to the long list of things that he overthought when the rest of the boys slept. He sighed, and stood by Remus as they waited for Peter and James to emerge from the class. Remus quickly paired off with Pete, as they exclaimed loudly about the wonders of the lesson, that they had just witnessed. James and Sirius followed slightly behind, walking in a comfortable silence. James, predictably, was the first to break it.

"Can't believe you thought she was a real cat."

"Didn't see you trynna stop me."

"Nah, it was too funny see. Top party trick mind, imagine being an Animagus. You ould get away with anything then. Turn into an animal, bet you could escape dementors, and like hide undercover and stuff. Bloody brilliant idea. Takes a lot of time mind. James had begun to ramble, and Sirius started to think about Remus. The full moon was coming up- he was filled with nerves and anticipation, to see what the boy said. James seemed to notice, that Sirius was losing concentration, and lightly punched his arm. Even better- imagine falling for it" James burst out laughing, whilst Sirius scowled.

"Just wanted to break the ice a bit, that's all" Sirius came up with a feeble excuse.

"Sure you did mate." James retorted. Suddenly Sirius smiled and began to laugh.

"Would paid to see my face though- bet it were comical." James burst out laughing once more.

"It was bloody brilliant though, Sirius, I'll be laughing about it for months."

"It's your turn next. I'm thinking we can start you know, bits of mischief here and there- liven up the show a bit. What do you think?"

Sirius didn't say anything for a while. James, believing his idea had been too much, too soon. And the, Sirius piped up.

"Let's start with my lovely cousins' house- Bellatrix has been asking for trouble for a while now." James clapped a hand to his back.

"I believe, Sirius, that we are going to cause some chaos in our time at Hogwarts".


	4. The Whomping Willow

Sailors fighting in the dance hall  
Oh man! Look at those cavemen go  
It's the freakiest show  
Take a look at the lawman  
Beating up the wrong guy  
Oh man, wonder if he'll ever know  
He's in the best selling show  
Is there life on Mars?  
\- life on Mars, David Bowie

The hours turned into days, and, in time, the days turned into weeks. Two weeks into the first term of the boys' first year at Hogwarts, Remus realised with a start, that the full moon was fast approaching. He had not realised so much time had past, until he felt the sharp tugs deep in his stomach, that urged him to be out of the castle, and running in the night.   
Suddenly, Remus felt more alone than he had all term. He had not told the boys in his room of his predicament; he was afraid of what they would say. And this, coupled with his basic understanding of the magical world, separated him from his friends, at least it did in his mind.   
Remus' senses were sharpened. The boys dorm, which had previously smelt of deodorant, with an ever present, lingering, musty smell, now became alive with different smells. Remus sat awake at night, his eyes closed tightly, as he trained himself to recognise the smells associated with his faraway friends. Sirius smelt as what Remus described as rainy days in the library, he had the constant aroma of a log fire- which seemed fairly fitting, as the boy constantly complained of the cold. James, on the other hand, smelled fresh, like cotton that had just been washed. It reminded Remus of home, and of his mother. Peter smelled of rich cocoa. His mother frequently sent him chocolates and treats from home, and on of his cousins sent him foreign chocolates and sweets, from which ever country he was in at the time.   
Remus was particularly fond of the smell of the library, where he hid away during his free time. The age of the books and the dark wood of the shelves made Remus wish he could make a candle out of the library, and burn it forever.   
But it was not only his smell that was heightened. Remus began to see everything. In the dark, his eyesight was more keen, and, as the full moon approached, he found he was even able to read his books under the cover of his duvet. In the Great Hall, when the students were assembled for meals, Remus became more keenly aware of the couples sat close together. He began to differentiate between the hormonal urges of the older students, and the simple hand holding of the younger.  
The day of the full moon, Remus ate nothing. His stomach felt heavy, and the sight of food made the boy want to vomit. All through breakfast, and then lunch, Remus had to ignore the concerned looks that his friends were shooting him. Sirius in particular, Remus noticed, seemed concerned, and Remus felt obliged to shoot reassuring smiles towards him.

The final double lesson of the day of the full moon was potions. Remus sat next to the red-haired girl that he had seen on the train. Her name was Lily, Lily Evans- and Remus had developed an instant liking for the girl. Despite her questionable friendship with Severus Snape, whom James and Sirius had unfortunately coined Snivellous (much to Lily's disgust), Remus believed the girl was kind at heart. She also came from a muggle upbringing, however, she seemed to be more well-read into the subject of magic; she had already read her set texts by the time the first week was over.

Surprisingly, Remus and Lily had quickly shot to the top of their potions class- to which Lily blamed the endless chemistry experiments and cooking lessons that they had each endured in primary school. Remus knew, however, that this, whilst being useful, was a farce, an excuse Lily used to be modest- she really was incredibly gifted, as the teachers frequently pointed out. But, she had an excuse for her brilliant mind with every compliment. Her immaculate star charts were simply the product of an enthusiastic art teacher in the juniors. Her perfect wand movements were just reflection of the calligraphy club she attended in her lunch times during year 6. Every time Lily blamed her muggle upbringing for her brilliance, the people around her rolled their eyes, and, if James was near, he would pipe up- inevitably saying something along the lines of,

"Don't be silly Lily, you're just perfection" or "Behave Evans, your just a closeted genius".

James frequently claimed he was   
"deathly in love with Lily",   
to which Sirius frequently found a clever retort. Remus often felt compelled to listen quietly, and scoff quietly, his head tucked into a book.  
In the potions lesson, Professor Slughorn was describing the method to making a sleeping draught. Remus liked Slughorn- both he and Lily agreed that the teachers jolly, red face, and great booming voice reminded them of a young Santa Claus. James and Sirius did not share this opinion, and thought  
"he's a proper twat- took five house points off us second day, just cos Pete accidentally turned his nose blue". Remus still smiled at that memory, even though plenty had happened since.   
"Right then class- you know what to do. Off you pop, chop chop potions don't brew themselves." The class immediately got to work, ignoring the ramblings of Slughorn as he muttered about potions that did in fact brew themselves, and the grumpy nature of self stirring spoons.   
Lily and Remus worked in perfect synchronisation. It was a unusual feature of a pair who had only known each other for a fortnight, but Remus felt as if he had known Lily for years.   
"Re, you're quiet today, what's bugging you?"  
Remus' eyes widened, and he began to stutter a response. "N-no nothing, jus-just a bit of a stomach ache I think." Lily nodded, excepting his response.   
"Me too." A smile crossed her lips. "Your time of the month too?" Remus' mind sped up. He had one main thought flashing through his head- Lily can't know, how does she know? And then, Remus comprehended the thing she had said. Shit. Lily was on her thingy. Remus blushed scarlet at the thought. Good, she was joking then. He dropped his eyes from hers, his shoes clearly more interesting than this conversation. Lily let out a barking laugh.  
"You boys. You're all the same. Maybe I could get rid of James if I told him. Ooo that's a plan." Lily started to ramble to herself, and Remus chose to tune out.   
The Werewolf only returned to reality when a sharp knock graced the door. The class fell silent immediately, and Slughorn looked up over his glasses. The Professor removed his feet from the desk, and shouted a loud  
"come in".   
The door opened slowly, and the school nurse, Madame Pomfrey, Remus recalled, walked into the class.   
"Sorry Professor, could I just have a quick word?" Slughorn nodded, smiling at the nurse. He made no effort to move. "Outside?" The nurse was clearly used to Slughorn and his ways.   
"Oh sorry Poppy, of course, of course. Umm class, finish up now, put your final products on the side- clean up your mess, and if I'm not back by the time the lesson finishes, you may go." Slughorn had reached the door by this point, and exited the classroom.  
The class immediately burst into chatter, speculating what was being spoken about. Lily and Remus put away their equipment in silence, and sat down at their desk. Lily turned around to talk to Marlene, who was sat behind them, and Remus was left alone with his thoughts once again.  
Not one minute before the lesson always due to end, Slughorn swept back into the classroom.   
"Jolly good folks, no homework today since you've all been so good. Off you pop, have a lovely evening." The professor stood by the door, passing comments to students about their good work, or excellent homework as they shuffled out. When Remus reached the door, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and jumped slightly.  
"Remus my boy, stay behind a second would you? Just want a quick chat about your essay." Remus nodded, and stepped back into the classroom. It felt like an eternity before the final member of the class had filed out. Slughorn walked over to the boy and perched on the edge of a desk, so that the pair were at eye level.   
"Remus, my boy. Not to worry about your essay, it was a decoy" Slughorn winked, and Remus felt his heart rate calm. "Madam Pomfrey just had a word, she told me about your," he paused, in thought, "furry little problem?" Remus giggled, and Slughorn nodded.  
"Yes, well she told me about that, and she's here to take you to the place you will spend the night-for your own, and everybody else's safety. Poppy, come on in." Slughorn bellowed the last sentence so loud, that Remus winced slightly. Madame Pomfrey entered the room.   
"Mr Lupin" she nodded towards Remus. The boy smiled, and then recalled the manners his mum had taught him.  
"Please, call me Remus." The nurse smiled, and replied  
"Only if you call me Poppy".

Sirius stood waiting outside the Potions classroom, idly drawing blue sparks in the air with his wand. James and Peter had returned to the door, after Sirius insisted on waiting for Remus to come out of the class. It was taking a little longer than Sirius expected, and his stomach rumbled slightly, hungry for dinner. But he waited nevertheless. Sirius liked Remus, the boy who seemed shy, but was just as loud and mischievous as them all. He had noticed the boy wasn't acting himself today and Sirius, whilst not believing himself to be talented at many things, knew he could cheer anybody up. His mother once berated him for being too happy. He shivered at the thought.  
Sirius watched the nurse go into the classroom, but paid little attention to it. When he heard footsteps approaching the door, Sirius made a quick decision. The best way, he reasoned, the cheer up Remus, was to jump out at him from the corridor. Laughs would be had, Remus would pretend to be mad, and the world would be right again. Sirius bolted across the corridor, and hid in a small alcove, where a shining suit of armour stood. Crouching down, Sirius saw the nurse and Slughorn emerge from the room, with Remus between them. Sirius frowned, confused. They trio began to head in the opposite direction to Sirius, and Sirius, in all his intelligence, decided to follow, scurrying from alcove to alcove. Three times Madam Pomfrey turned around, suspecting they were being followed, and three times Sirius managed to evade capture.   
After minutes of walking, they reached the hospital wing. Sirius had not ventured to this part of the castle yet, but recognised the Latin written above the doors. It was the same sentence written above St Mungo's, where Sirius had been many a time, to visit his Uncle Alphard. Mortem non Exspectat Virum. Death waits for no man. Sirius always found it ironic that this was put over the front doors of a hospital.   
Three trio that Sirius was tailing entered the hospital wing, and the doors slammed shut behind the, not leaving enough time for Sirius to slip inside. Instead, the boy was forced to find another alcove. He sat down, his back against the wall, and started to draw circles with his wand once again. Sirius wracked his brain, trying to think what was wrong with Remus. It was only when he heard a cackle belonging to his cousin, Bellatrix, further down the corridor, that he recalled. Tonight was the full moon. That was why Remus had been distant, why his appetite had slipped. Sirius slapped his forehead. How stupid was he not to realise. The boy argued with himself in his head for a while, before drifting into a light doze.   
He awoke when the doors slammed shut, and Remus and Pomfrey left the hospital wing, hurrying towards the main doors. Sirius went to stand, and grimaced when he realised his legs had gone to sleep. Painful pins and needles emerged in he muscles, as the boy hobbled to keep up. He was too slow.  
Out on the grounds, Remus and Madame Pomfrey stopped at the Whomping Willow. Sirius dove behind a bush, his eyes peeking out from above it. Suddenly, the nurse held out her wand, muttered a spell, and the tree was still. Sirius' eyes widened as the two disappeared underneath the tree, gone from sight. Sirius darted forward, but he was too late; the tree was back in motion before Sirius could see where they disappeared too. Dejected, Sirius began to move backwards, but it was too little too late. A branch swung out of the tree, and hit Sirius square in the chest. He felt his ribs crack, and fell to the floor in pain. The boy groaned, and looked around, only to be greeted but another branch to his face. Pain shot through is head, as his nose began to bleed profusely. Sirius almost gave up to die at that point, but realised he would have to face the wrath of Madame Pomfrey, and so started to crawl forwards. The tree smashed into his legs, causing Sirius to scream in pain. He kept trying to crawl away, but each time the tree hit him somewhere new.   
Bruised and broken in places Sirius didn't know he had, the boy finally cleared the hazard zone of the tree. His vision was fading in and out of focus, and he reached for a young silver birch tree to haul himself up. The seconds passed in gruelling hours, but finally, Sirius pulled himself into a standing position. One step forward, and the boy collapsed on the floor, screaming in pain once more. Once more he tried to move, but his energy was draining, his skeleton was screaming in pain.   
Sirius was close to blacking out, when he heard the tree still, and a Yelp emerged from the mouth of the nurse. He saw her worried face, hovering over him, and then, darkness.

In a darkened house, on the outskirts of a village, a wolf smelled magic, all around him. The wolf was hungry, it wanted to be free. With a howl of despair, the wolf took its anger out on the only magic it could find. And so, the wolf, no longer a sweet, innocent boy, took it's claws to itself.

The next thing Sirius remembered, he was lying in a bed. A warm light was too his left, and cast eerie shadows around the room. At the foot of the bed, a group of people were talking. Sirius pretended to sleep, and attempted to hear what was being said.   
"The boy, he must know- why else would he have been by the Willow." Sirius distinguished the nurse's voice first.  
"Yes Poppy, Sirius knows. But I refuse to believe he will mean any harm for Mr. Lupin." McGonagall's voice was soft.  
"But what if he tells somebody? It's a heavy burden to carry for an eleven year old. There will be uproar. How do we excuse his fall? And the fact that both Mr Black and Mr Lupin did not return to their dorms? The friends will ask questions." Madam Pomfrey continued, firing questions towards the other members of the group.   
"Oh Poppy not to worry about that now. We have two eleven year old boys in need of care, one here, and the other in a shack. You do your job, we will do ours." McGonagall spoke, her voice still quiet.  
The nurse bustled off with a loud sigh, and the room was quiet once again. Then the Headmaster himself spoke out.   
"I believe it is best to tell people a half truth, Minerva."  
"What do you have in mind, Dumbledore?"   
"Mr Black will have to inform people that he and Mr Lupin were walking through the grounds, when they realised the had reached the whomping willow. The forgot our warnings at the Sorting Ceremony, and the tree got to them- as it actually did to Mr Black here."  
"Very good Professor, we shall inform Mr Black that when he wakes."  
"Oh, I don't think there is any need for that Minerva, I believe Sirius already knows." The boy in question abandoned his sleeping facade, and sat up slowly, blinking rapidly. Everywhere hurt, his nose, his legs, his chest especially.   
"But Professor- what do I tell Remus? My cousin Bellatrix told me see, and I didn't tell Remus I knew cos I didn't want to ruin our friendship and all, I won't tell James or Pete, but I think I should talk to him, show he has a friend and all, but if you don't want me to that's fine, I can tell him I tripped down stairs or somin like tha'."   
Dumbledore smiled at Sirius, a twinkle in his eye.  
"I'm sure you will talk to Remus, when the time is right- but it is quiet important he approaches you first, you must hear it from his mouth." Sirius nodded slowly. "Now sleep, Mr Black. I have a feeling tomorrow may be eventful, to say the very least."   
Sirius sunk back into his pillows, and the two professors walked away. The boy's eyes craved sleep; they were heavy and sleepy, but his mind refused to allow it. Eventually, Madam Pomfrey returned, and gave Sirius a sleeping draught, and the boy's mind slipped into darkness once again.

AN: sorry it's been so long guys, life's been busy here. Hopefully you all had Happy Holidays, and that 2021 is better than last year! Anyways, I'm going back to school soon, so updates will be posted when I can. I also have my AS exams(ish) soon, so revision is coming, but hopefully I can still update.  
Please please let me know if I should carry on writing this fic, I have now got a pretty solid plan, so hopefully you guys enjoy, and do let me know any issues you pick up on!   
Happy reading,  
Niamh


	5. The First Secret

And as we wind on down the road  
Our shadows taller than our soul  
There walks a lady we all know  
Who shines white light and wants to show  
How everything still turns to gold  
And if you listen very hard  
The tune will come to you at last  
When all is one and one is all, that's what it is  
To be a rock and not to roll, oh yeah  
And she's buying a stairway to heaven  
\- Stairway to Heaven, Led Zeppelin  
! TW- BLOOD AND HOSPITAL MENTIONS!  
Remus Lupin fell asleep in the hospital wing, almost as soon as his head touched the pillow. The sun had risen ever so slightly, and the moon long since disappeared. Remus noted that a bed at the end of the wing was occupied, but barely had time to think it through before his brain blacked into nothing.  
Sirius woke for the second time that night when he heard the doors of the hospital wing bang shut. A small boy, supported between Madame Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall, entered the room. Sirius turned his gasp of shock into a small snore as he saw that Remus was covered in blood. The boy's sandy hair was matted against his scalp, a fresh cut in his head. Remus' face had red ribbons stretching across it, and one leg trailed behind him, seemingly useless. Sirius watched through half-closed eyes as Remus was laid down, and McGonagall swept out of the room. Remus fell asleep quickly, and Madame Pomfrey bustled around him, clearing out his cuts, and whispering a spell directed to his leg. She bandaged his head carefully and decided that she had done all she could. Instead of leaving, the nurse shuffled over to Sirius. She saw right through his sleeping facade, and whispered,

"Don't worry, Mr. Black. He will be alright." Sirius opened his eyes slowly and saw the kindly nurse gazing down at him.

"Are you sure?" Worry sparked in Sirius' voice.

"Yes, dear. Magic fixes everything." With a wink, the Nurse bustled off, leaving Sirius with his thoughts. The boy gradually fell into a light sleep, dozing in the morning rays of sunshine, that was kissing his face.

When Sirius awoke for the third time, the shouts of students could be heard outside the hospital wing. Happy laughter and excited chatter filled Sirius' senses, and he felt a warm buzz in his stomach. He was safe. He was home. He was at Hogwarts. Sirius sat up and tentatively swung his legs over the side of his bed. He wiggled his toes and realised that it caused no pain. He slipped his feet into the slippers waiting next to the bed and walked over to Remus' bed. The boy looked so peaceful in sleep, his eyes closed, his expression soft. Sirius felt a small tickle deep inside as he looked on at the young boy before him. There was a small stool next to the bed, which Sirius pulled up to the side of Remus. He sat down slowly, and tentatively picked up Remus' hand in his own, just as he remembered his mother doing when he was sick.

Remus Lupin awoke from his slumber in an unfamiliar bed. His eyes remained closed as he felt his mother's hand holding his. He lay peacefully for a while, before slowly opening his eyes. A great arched ceiling loomed above him, and Remus realised with a start that he was at Hogwarts, which meant it couldn't be his mother holding his hand. Remus turned his head, his eyes widening in shock as he saw the boy sat next to him.   
Sirius leaped up, pulling his hand from Remus', and tumbling over his stool. Remus smiled. It was okay, his friend was here. He was safe. It was then that he saw the bruises that scattered Sirius' face, the slight lean that he stood with, removing weight from one of his legs. He saw the bandage that covered one wrist, disappearing up his sleeve. Sirius smiled at Remus. Remus decided he liked Sirius' smile. It was slightly crooked but beyond genuine. He wished the boy would smile more. When Remus pieced together that Sirius knew about his problem, he realised he wasn't scared, rather he felt as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

"You can sit, you know." Remus' voice was croaky, his throat ached.

"Cheers. Just let me-" Sirius bent down to pick up the stool, and placed it carefully back next to the bed. The two sat in comfortable silence, taking in each other's battle wounds.

"How you feeling Re?" Sirius was the first to break the silence. Quiet reminded him of home, and he would do anything to forget that place.

"I'm alright." Remus sent a small smile to Sirius. The silence returned.

"Sirius?"

"Hmmm?"

"Do you hate me? Now you know?" Sirius' gaze snapped back to the werewolf, his mouth gaping open in shock.

"Hate you? Remus, why ever would I hate you?"

"You know," Remus' eyes began to plead with Sirius to understand, "cos of my Furry Little Problem?" Sirius burst out laughing.

"Remus, two points. First," he paused to control his laughter, "My cousin told me, the day on the train. I've known since the first day." Remus' eyes widened in alarm. "Don't worry Re, I haven't told anybody."

"Okay. Will you tell the others?"

Sirius shook his head. "Not until you tell them. It's not my secret to tell." Remus fell back onto his pillows, relieved.

"What was the second thing?"

"Huh? Oh right, yeah. Furry Little Problem- best name going. Bloody love it."

"Oh. Okay." The silence returned. Sirius stood up slowly, and Remus watched as he limped back to his bed, the slight dragging of his foot breaking the silence.

"Sirius?" Remus' voice was quiet, pleading. He hated it.

"Yeah?" the reply was muffled; Sirius had collapsed face down onto his bed.

"I don't wanna talk about what happened last night. Not yet anyway. But, we will talk about those bruises of yours at some point."

"Sure Re, sounds good."

The two boys spent the next few hours in the Hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey had long since cleared Sirius to return to lesson, but he refused to leave without Remus. Remus could have cried. It had been so long since anybody cared enough to see through the fact he was a werewolf, and it had been even longer since anybody had been a friend.

The clock tower rung out with thirteen bells, signifying the fact that it was lunch. The corridors filled with chatter and excitable exclamations, on the other side of the doors. Both boys were sat in their beds when the doors were flung open, and in strode James Potter, with Peter trotting closely behind.

James made his way first to Sirius' bed. Remus sat up to see James aiming light punches at Sirius, who giggled and squirmed out of the way of James.   
"You" *hit* "are" *hit* "an" *a hit that actually landed* "Idiot, Sirius Black".  
At this point, Peter ran forward, and grabbed James' arm, before he could do any more damage.   
"I think he knows that James" Sirius looked up at his saviour. Pete took James by the shoulders and led him to the neighbouring bed. Remus, across the room, stood up and hobbled to the place where Sirius was lying, and perched on the side of the bed. Sirius sat up further, and Remus shuffled further up the bed. James watched these events with a silghtly amused smile playing on his lips.   
"I can't believe you idiots" James' voice took a motherly tone. "How could you be so stupid as to walk by the WHOMPING WILLOW" He shouted the name of the tree, receiving a glare form the Nurse who was sat in her office.   
"Quiet James we don't wanna get chucked out."  
"Sorry Pete" James turned his head and smiled sweetly at Madame Pomfrey, who rolled her eyes slightly, and had to turn her head to hide her smile. James smiled smuggly. He already knew many teachers had succumbed to his boyish charm and wit.   
"Where were we? Ah, you two idiots decided to walk by the whooping willow, in the dark!" Remus looked at Sirius, his eyes wide. James didn't see Sirius' slight nod. Pete did.  
"Here's the thing Jamesy boy. Our friend Remus here has a bit of a daring streak, I told him not to go close to the tree, but did he listen?" Remus began to stutter protests to this fable.   
"I don't know Sirius, did he listen?" James' tone was mocking, humour laced his voice, his eyes wide.  
"Would you believe, James, he did not!" Both boys released overly pretentious gasps.  
"You don't say?"  
"I do, James, I do. And curse my selfless nature- I went in and rescued him."  
"Like a Matyr!" Cried James.  
"Yes, my friend. Like a damn Matyr."  
"Well then Sirius, we should be cheering you, not mocking!"  
"Indeed, Jamsey, you should."  
"Bullshit" Muttered Pete. Both James and Sirius turned their heads, their mouths open in false horror.  
"Whatever do you mean Peter?" Sirius tone was laced with false horror.   
"Yes Peter? Do you not believe this tale of heroics?" James followed suit.  
"No. And neither should you. Remus would never be that silly. Would you, Re?" Remus shook his head, his eyes wide.  
"Damn. You caught me Pettigrew. I'm a fraud." Sirius hung his head in false shame. James gasped loudly.  
"Sirius Black, I thought better of you. I'm disgusted. Lying to your friend. DISGUSTING" He stood up and stormed away, checking over his shoulder to see if his friends were enjoying his performance. They were. The three were laughing loudly, watching in amazement as James strolled over to the nurses' office, leaned in, and said,  
"Sorry for the din Poppy, dear. It's been a hard day, dealing with my friends untimely injuries." The nurse smothered a smile. She had yet to meet a first year like James Potter.  
"Out of my office Potter, before I make you get out." The nurse held up her files menacingly. James scampered off quietly, and made his way back to the beds of his friends.  
The remaining three were in fits of laughter when James finally returned to the group. The great clock echoed out around the halls, signalling the opening of the great hall for lunch. Peter turned to look at James, his eyes as wide as a puppies'. James noticed Pete's pleading eyes when Remus started sniggering.   
James slapped his thighs and stood up.   
"Right then lads, best be off. Petey here wants feeding. See you both in the common room tonight, yeah?"  
Remus nodded quickly. "Yeah, see you James."  
"Bye Pete" Sirius called out as the pair left the hospital. Madame Pomfrey took the opportunity to bustle over to the boys.  
"You two are good to go whenever. Straight up to your dorm, no side tracking." She sent a pointed look to Sirius.  
"Never fear, Poppy. We are well behaved every hour of everyday." James' visit had clearly brightened Sirius' spirits. The nurse only rolled her eyes in response.  
"Remus dear, will you be alright?" The nurse switched her attention from Sirius to the werewolf sat next to him.   
Remus smiled sweetly. "Yes Poppy, I think so."  
"Jolly good. Collect your things, and off you pop." The nurse turned away, and walked back to her office.

Sirius and Remus left the hospital as the bells chimed for the afternoons' classes. They pushed their way through the throngs of students that filled the hallways, and finally made their way back to the common room. Remus uttered the password, and the portrait swung open. As expected, the common room had a few remaining older students, who were studying for their exams. There were only younger students. Sirius himself had no problem sitting with the older years, but he noticed Remus become slightly twitchy, his nerves toward older pupils evident.   
"C'mon Re, we can go to the dorms. I think I have my old wizards chess set hidden away up there."  
"Wizards' chess? Surely that can't be different from actual chess?" Sirius turned to look at Remus, a wicked glint in his eye.   
"My dear Remus, how much you are yet to learn."

The hours passed swiftly as the two boys played game after game of Wizards chess. To Sirius' dismay, Remus was some sort of muggle chess genius, and beat Sirius six games to one. The sky was darkening ever so slightly when Remus leaned back against the his bed, ignoring Sirius' please of "just one more game", and James and Peter came rushing in.  
"Guess- guess what we- just" Peter was wheezing slightly, both boys taking deep breaths.  
"Run far lads?" A smile played on Sirius' lips.  
"Bloody Hell Sirius, we just found a-" James began to speak, but took a deep breath. Remus turned to Sirius.  
"I wonder. What have they found?"   
"Yeah c'mon boys, spit it out." James glared at the two boys sat on the floor, who both began giggling relentlessly.  
"We found a secret passage!" Pete could hardly contain his glee.   
"Why didn't you say?" Sirius jumped up, his eyes wide with excitement. Remus watched Sirius carefully, amused. He felt a small twist deep down inside him, as he watched the boy who knew his secret.  
"I tried Sirius, but you wouldn't let me." James was arguing with Sirius.  
"Well what are you waiting for, show us this secret passage. Where does it go?"  
"We don't know yet Sirius, we only went a couple o' meters in" Peter piped up, eager to be a part of this conversation. 

"C'mon then lads, we've got an adventure to have. Remus?" The werewolf looked up at Sirius, his eyes wide. Maybe Sirius wanted him to stay here. "You coming mate?"

"Of course I am- not gonna miss out on this am I?" Remus jumped up, relief flooding his face. 

The boys left the room quickly, creeping down the stairs. James looked around the corner, checking to see if the common room was empty. 

"It's clear boys." Slowly, staying comically low, the four made their way towards the portrait exit. The sound of a throat being cleared stopped them in their tracks. 

Curled up on the couch, nose in a book, reading by the light of the fire, sat Lily Evans. 

"Heading out late, aren't we boys?" Her voice had a hint of smugness to it. James blushed a deep red. He began to stutter a response, before Remus stepped in.

"We're just headed down to the hospital wing. Sirius' wrist is hurting a bit, after he broke it last night."

Lily seemed to accept this excuse with surprising swiftness. 

"Well, be back by lights out. We don't need to lose any house points." She looked pointedly at James and Sirius.

"Aight Lily." James finally spoke. "We'd best be off, Sirius here is in a fair bit of pain." Sirius pulled a pained expression, hoping to move the conversation along. Lily scoffed. 

"See you lot later then." She paused. "Bye Remus." Remus' eyes widened as he stuttered,

"b-bye Lils". Sirius smirked at his discomfort, and James refused to meet his eye.

The four boys made their way down the corridors. After negotiating the moving staircases and avoiding teachers, James and Pete led Sirius and Remus through corridors, and promptly stopped in front of the statue of a witch, with only one eye. Sirius and Remus stood back, arms crossed, bemused expressions on their faces. 

"And now then boys." James produced his wand with a flurry. He cleared his throat dramatically, and uttered "Dissendium". Sirius watched open mouthed as the hump on the back of the witch's back slid away, and a slide appeared.

"Gowan then Pete, you first." James pushed Peter forward, and he slid down into the darkness. James went next, followed by Remus, who let out a slight squeel of joy. Sirius was last to go. He hated the dark, it reminded him of one too many nights he slept in the cupboard under the stairs- a fitting punishment, his mother deemed, for Sirius' misdemeanours. 

"You coming Sirius?" Remus' voice called out from the tunnel. Sirius gulped, and flung himself down the slide. He flew down the slide with such momentum that when he reached the bottom, he flew straight into Remus, who toppled down under his weight.

"Bloody hell Sirius, there was no need for that." Remus exclaimed in indignation. 

"Sorry Re" Sirius muttered, his cheeks a vibrant red. James chuckled.

"C'mon boys, we got ourselves a secret passage to explore". The four boys muttered Lumos, a spell they had recently picked up in Defence Against the Dark Arts. Now that light was present, James was first to run off down the passage, and Sirius followed, running just behind him. The two boys ran for a while, before they realised the tunnel was not ending anytime soon. They stood still, backs against the wall, whilst the waited for Remus and Pete to catch up. The aforementioned pair came across the two, breathing heavily, and began to laugh loudly. Sirius scowled at them both, whilst James just smiled happily. The group, whole again, walked the rest of the way. It took them a good 45 minutes to reach the end, where they were met by a wooden hatch in the ceiling. Peter decided to take command in this moment, and shoved his way through the group, pushing gently on the door. It swung open quickly, and almost immediately, and alarm blared through the air. 

Peter slammed the door shut, and uttered the immortal word; "Run". The four boys began running as fast as they could. Sirius' heart was pounding, his breathing fast and painful. James was in a similar way, gripping his side as he powered on. Only Remus seemed fine, he was running along with all the grace of a marathon runner. His breathing was steady, and as Sirius turned to look at him, he noticed a certain light in his eyes. Sirius smiled to himself. It must be the werewolf thing. Remus caught his eye, and a puzzled expression crossed his face. And then, the recognition dawned. As Sirius watched in amazement, Remus began to make his breathing more laboured, and started to stagger ever so slightly. He winked at Sirius, who blushed ever so slightly. 

The journey back seemed far shorter than the way there. The three boys made it back to the witch, with smiles of relief, and began to crawl their ways back up the slide. Once they were out, James once again muttered the spell, and the passage way closed up silently behind them. The four stepped out into the corridor, and began creeping back towards their dorms. They were almost there, when a cool voice spoke out behind them.

"Well, well. Gryffindors out of bed, after lights out." They spun around almost simultaneously, only to be greeted by the smug face of Severus Snape. James started forward, but didn't make it far before he was grabbed by Remus. Sirius looked down to see Peter had grabbed his own arm. "You have just proven my theory- so thank you dearly boys. You see, I believe Gryffindors are far, far, far from brave, and rather, they are just stupid."


	6. The Second Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas in Hogwarts

Hey I oughta leave young thing alone  
But ain't no sunshine when she's gone, who 

Ain't no sunshine when she's gone

Only darkness every day  
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone

And this house just ain't no home

Anytime she goes away

-Ain't No Sunshine, Bill Withers

James shrugged himself out of Remus' grasp and ran for Severus. Sirius watched in awe as James charged toward Snape, his arms outstretched. Severus turned and ran as fast as his spindly legs could carry him. Maybe it was James' great misfortune, or perhaps it was Snape's saving that the Slytherin ran straight into the chest of Professor McGonagall, who let out a shocked "Oof", before looking sharply down at the gaggle of boys in front of her. She looked down her nose at the slyly grinning Snape, and the meek Gryffindors. 

"What, pray to tell, are you doing out of bed?" Her shrill Scottish accent sliced the silence. James opened his mouth to speak, but, before he could, Snape began to speak.

"Professor, I found these boys out of bed, after curfew. I was coming to find a professor. Personally, I believe house point removal would be the best course of action." In that moment, Sirius saw every member of his family reflected in the boy. McGonagall stared down her nose at the greasy-haired boy. 

"I would have to agree with you, Severus. Rule-breaking demands serious consequences." She paused, holding the boys in suspense. She looked towards the Gryffindor boys, standing back from James and Severus. "For you, you bunch of marauders, I believe five points will be consequential enough. Potter," her gaze turned to the spectacled boy before her, "you will lose ten house points, and will be serving detention with me, for the rest of this week. Threats of violence are never tolerated at Hogwarts. And Snape. Your eager betrayal of your classmates and breaking curfew gives me no choice but to take fifteen house points from Slytherin, and you will also serve detention alongside Potter. Now, back to your dorm rooms, all of you." With that, the four Gryffindor boys turned towards their common room, muttering amongst themselves. Looking behind him, Sirius saw Snivellous turn and slouch off to the dungeons. He gulped. He could have been that boy. 

The four boys sulked all the way back to their dorm. James went in first, followed by Pete. Remus looked at Sirius with sad eyes and a small smile, before going into the room. Sirius waited for a second outside, his thoughts a mess. He looked up at the door in front of him and had to double-take. The silver sign that held their names was changing as he watched. In swirling writing, The Marauders was written, replacing their names. Sirius grinned and ran into the room.

Inside, Remus was already buried in a book, James was writing an essay, and Peter, well, judging by the sounds coming from the bathroom, Peter was clearly also preoccupied.

"Peter," James yelled, "Please, for the love of Merlin, learn a silencing spell." Remus broke into giggles. Sirius walked over nonchalantly and leaned down to whisper in Remus' ear. 

"Re- come outside with me a second." Remus looked up at Sirius through big brown eyes. He nodded slowly, putting down his book. James looked up, and, when Sirius motioned for him to join them, he followed eagerly. 

Outside the room, Sirius pointed to the sign. James' mouth dropped open, and the sparkle returned to his eyes. He ran back into the room, and yelled,

"Petey". Peter emerged from the bathroom.

"What do you want James?"

"WE ARE THE MARAUDERS"

"Right?"

"WE WILL LIVE FOREVER, OUR LEGACY WILL NEVER DIE."

"You are a bloody idiot James."

"Nah, Pete, it says so on the door."

"Oh."

Sirius and Remus were beside themselves with laughter at this point. They collapsed onto their beds, holding their stomachs laughing. Pete looked over at the two, amused, whilst James stared dreamily off into the distance, a smile playing on his lips.

"We are the Marauders. Now and forever." Even whispering, the statement held enough gravity for Remus and Sirius to stop laughing.

"Yeah James, forever" Sirius smiled. He had found his family.

Just as before, the weeks flowed swiftly. Whenever the full moon came, and Remus spent the day in hospital, Sirius found a reason to be there. He had headaches, he twisted his ankle running down the stairs. Remus thought perhaps James would cotton on, but, if he did, he never said anything. Pete, in his nature, remained entirely oblivious, commenting only once about how Remus and Sirius were lucky the hospital wing was on the NHS. That brought a smile from Remus, and a confused look from Sirius.

Days turned into weeks until suddenly, the Christmas holiday's were only a week away. James and Peter were returning home, craving a bit of Dorset sea air before the year was out. Remus was returning to Wales, to see his mother. And Sirius, well, Sirius was staying in Hogwarts. He could not face returning home for Christmas, and dealing with his family. And so, in the final week of school, Sirius adopted a rather gloomy attitude. 

As per custom, the final week of school was chaotic. Lesson structure disintergrated, students wandered the corridors, and James spent an excess amount of time in the Library. When question about this by Remus, who himself normally spent hours in the library a week, James shut up his books, and ran to another end of the library. What shocked Remus even more was the time Sirius came in with James, hidden in a corner, whispering feverously amongst themselves. 

The morning of the final day of school, the owls came in as normal. The boys had largely grown to ignore the presence of these magnificent birds, and continued their breakfasts as normal. Sirius had long since given up expecting mail from his family, and Remus wasn't entirely sure his mother knew how to use owls.

This morning, however, he was pleasantly surprised. A great twany owl flew down in front of him, and dropped a letter in his plate of sausage and beans. Remus glared at the bird, which duely squarked at him, and flew away. Remus picked up his letter between his finger and thumb, and looked at it unimpressed. Frank, sat a few seats away, laughed loudly and pointed his wand at Remus' envelope. He uttered a spell that Remus had never heard, and the letter cleaned itself so that the paper almost shined. 

"Thanks Frank" The older boy smiled, and winked at Remus. 

"Stupid birds, they do it all the time." Remus smiled, and opened his letter.

Dear Remus,

It's mum here. I hope you are doing alright at school sweetheart. I'm sorry I haven't written sooner, I couldn't figure out how to get an owl. Apparently wizards don't use Royal Mail. 

I'm sorry to say darling, but I have to ask you to stay in school this Christmas. I know it's not what you wanted to hear, and I have missed you very much my darling. But your Aunty Linda has fallen very ill in America, so I must go and visit her for a while. I leave on Christmas Eve, and will probably stay out there until the end of Janurary.

Lots of Love darling,

from Mum.

Remus gulped, and stood abruptly. He ran for the dorm, only to be greeted by a sleepy Sirius, making his way down the stairs.

"you m'okay Re?" Sirius sounded far from awake. Remus tried to blink away tears, but Sirius saw them. "Oh. So you're not okay?" Remus shook his head. Then Sirius did something that neither boy expected. He pulled Remus into a tight hug. Remus stiffened, shocked for a second, before resting his head onto Sirius' shoulder. 

Sirius pulled away, bright cherry red, and smiled at Remus.

"Can I see?" He gestured to the letter. Remus nodded, and handed the crumpled paper Sirius. Sirius read it quickly, and then looked up at Remus.

"Re- we got Gryffindor to ourselves over Christmas." And Remus smiled. 

That day and the next passed quickly. Remus and Sirius watched from their beds as Peter and James packed excitedly. Dinner was lively, the Christmas tree had been put up the previous day, dragged into the Hall by Hagrid, and decorated by a group of Prefects. The sky above showed snow, lightly falling onto the tables before disolving into nothing. The Marauders ate their fill at lunch. The Great Hall began to clear, leaving only a handful of students. 

As promised, Remus and Sirius were some of the only students remaining in Gryffindor, bar two studious seventh years. The Slytherin table was empty, the remaining Slytherin's sitting with Hufflepuffs. Ravenclaw was the fullest house, with a large group of fifth and seventh years sitting with their noses buried in books at one end, and some third years sat at the other.

Remus and Sirius walked with James and Pete to the massive doors, and waved until they couldn't see them anymore. The two boys then turned and raced up to the common room.

They collapsed on the sofa by the roaring fire. Remus looked up at Sirius, a grin on his face.

"Sirius?"

"Mmmm?"

"What are you and James planning?"

"You promise not to tell him I told you?" Sirius looked slightly nervous.

"Sure"

"We are trying to figure out how to enchant the staircases. It's pretty difficult."

"Oh. Okay." Remus' voice was sad, causing Sirius to look up sharply.

"What's wrong?"

"Thought you would've asked me, that's all. Don't worry about it. I'm gonna go upstairs and read for a bit."

"I'm sorry Re. I wanted to tell you, really I did-" The door to the dorms slammed shut loudly. Sirius fell back to the sofa, his mood dropping considerably. He stared at the book held in his lap, seeing but not reading.

In the dorm, Remus lay back on his bed, tears falling down his cheeks. He couldn't face crying in front of his... his... in front of Sirius. He curled up in his bed, gripping the sheets in his fists, as sobs wracked his body. So emotional was he, that he didn't hear the door open. But he did feel the weight of somebody sitting at the end of his bed. Remus sat up, wiping his eyes ferociously, staring at Sirius.

"Re, I have something to tell you." Remus nodded slowly. "I know your secret, your furry little problem that is. So I figured, it's only fair I tell you one of mine." Sirius took a deep breath. "IthinkIlikegirlsandboysandwheneverIlookatyouIfeelthisthinkandIthinkwecouldyouknowbemorethanfriends." Remus look at Sirius in confusion, wiping away final tears from his cheeks.

"Slower Sirius, I can't understand you."

Sirius looked away from Remus' eyes, and took another breath. Slower, this time, he said,

"I think that I like girls and boys." Remus' eyes widened. 

"Oh" He breathed, thinking back to the flutter that he felt whenever Sirius did something the didn't expect. "Sirius, I think I do to."

Sirius looked up sharply. "Really?"

"I think so."

"Oh. Okay."

The two looked at each other then. They met each other's gazes. Sirius coughed, breaking the silence. 

"Shall we go back downstairs? The fire is warm."

"Yeah okay." Sirius stood up first, and Remus followed. Half way down the stairs, Remus somewhere found the courage to take Sirius' hand in his. To his relief, Sirius did not pull back, and led Remus to the sofa. The two sat down, knees brushing, hands held, in silence.

Remus didn't remember falling asleep. But he woke up the next morning, his head resting on the knee of a sleeping Sirius, the fire dying in the hearth. He smiled to himself. Perhaps they were still children, but, in Remus' mind, they were growing up quicker than ever. He took a blanket that was rest over the top of the crimson couch, and pulled it over the two of them. Remus twisted his head so that he was comfy again, and allowed his eyes to drift back to sleep. 

When he woke again, Sirius had his hands softly stroking Remus' head. Remus turned over to look up at him. He noticed, with a smile, that Sirius' hair was growing long, peaking out from beneath his ears. Sirius turned bright pink, and moved his hands from Remus' head. 

"No, it's okay" Remus whispered, not wanting to break the perfection of the moment. 

"Oh. okay" Sirius' hand moved back to Remus' head, but now, his movements we jerkier; he was nervous, Remus realised.

"Remus-" Sirius' voice broke the silence. Remus was starting to realise how much Sirius hated silence. 

"Yeah."

"You know cos you're my," he stuttered slightly, "boyfriend". He trailed off, going pink.

"Yeah". The werewolf saw no need to deny it.

"Can I have the passcode to your chocolate stash?" Remus sat up sharply, looking Sirius in the eyes.

"No. Never."

"Maybe one day." Remus shook his head.

"Never." Sirius smiled, and burst out laughing. 

"I love it when you're serious" He stuttered between laughs. Remus' lips quirked and he looked at Sirius carefully before saying,

"No you're Sirius". This just set Sirius off laughing even more, which set off Remus' own laughter. It was only when an older Gryffindor came down form the dorms, glaring at the two, that they quietened. But of course, the minute the stranger left the room, they began laughing again.

That day, everything seemed funny to Sirius. He felt like a weight was taken off his shoulders, and now, when nobody was around, he felt a hand slip into his. Whenever he looked over, Remus would stare straight forward, blushing pink to his ears. 

At night, they sat talking for hours. With no significant secrets anymore, they felt free. One night, Remus figured out that they could crawl out onto the balcony by the window, and the two sat there, watching the moon. 

"Remus?"

"Hmmm."

"Can I call you Moony now?" Sirius thought it to be a stroke of genius; that nickname.

"Moony" Remus tasted on his tongue. "I like it." Sirius smiled loudly.

"My Moony." Remus looked up at him, startled, an then leant his head on his shoulder.

"Your Moony."

The wind began the howl, bringing a flurry of snow flakes onto the boys. They scrambled into their dorm, and collapsed onto the floor in a heap.

In their beds, later, Sirius sat up with a start.

"Moony."

"Yep."

"It's Christmas Eve!" Sirius could barely contain his excitement. Christmas was his favourite time of year.

"Happy Christmas Eve Sirius." Remuse muttered into his pillow, exhausted. Sirius was quiet for a second, before swinging his legs over the side of his bed, and padding over towards Remus' bed. He pulled back Remus' duvet, and slipped in to his bed. 

"Night Moony." 

His head still buried in his pillow, Remus hid his smile, and whispered, "Night Sirius."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! It's me, back after a while! I know this chapter isn't the longest, but I crammed quite a bit in, so hopefully it works okay. I wanted to capture the awkwardness of this scene. I distinctly remember being eleven/ twelve, and remember all the confusion that goes with it. So yes, I did put a childish 'relationship' in. However, never fear. In the UK, the age of consent is 16, so I will not be writing anything bout furthering any relationships until these characters are off age. So yeah, for now its just cute hand holding and hugs and stuff; because that is what 'relationships' at this age are!
> 
> Hopefully you all like this. Sorry for the time skips and the slightly rushed chapter, if it feels rushed lmk and I will do some more editing.  
> As always this is also now up on Wattpad if you see it there don’t worry :)
> 
> I love all you readers, thank you so much.
> 
> Niamh xxx


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